Labelling begins under the EU AI Act: what designers and brands need to know
Article 50 of the European Union's AI Act has applied since 2 August 2026. It governs the transparency of AI-generated content and directly concerns anyone producing visuals.
Who must do what?
- Providers (companies building AI systems): Mark generated audio, images, video and text in a machine-readable format so they can be detected as AI-generated. Systems on the market before 2 August have until 2 December 2026 to comply with this requirement.
- Deployers (brands, agencies, creators): Disclose that deepfake content has been artificially generated or manipulated. AI-written text on matters of public interest must also be disclosed, unless it has undergone human review and someone holds editorial responsibility.
An exception for creative work
For evidently artistic, creative, satirical or fictional works, disclosure is reduced to noting it in an appropriate way that does not hamper the display or enjoyment of the work. Standard editing such as grammar correction, or uses that don't substantially alter the input, fall outside the marking obligation.
Penalties and enforcement
According to sources, fines can reach €15 million or 3% of the previous year's worldwide turnover. The Commission's voluntary code of practice had been signed by about 190 organisations by the end of July 2026.
What it means for Turkish brands
Brands exporting to Europe, advertising to EU customers or running campaigns in the EU should take these rules into account. Practical steps: keep records of AI-generated campaign visuals, be especially careful with images resembling real people, and agree with your agency in advance on how content will be labelled. This article is not legal advice; consult a lawyer for specific cases.
If you want to talk about how your brand should adapt to these shifts, request a quote.
Source: artificialintelligenceact.eu, Article 50 guide
Source: LearnSignal, Article 50
